Posts Tagged ‘guinea pig’

Roughly a decade ago, I was very active in animal rescue and rehabilitation. Recently, I’ve actually been looking for a furry addition to the family and have consequentially gotten a glimpse into a world I haven’t really been following for a while. I’ve noticed two new and disturbing trends:

1. Re-homing fees as Income

I remember when I used to counsel people using the Internet and newspaper ads to ask for a “re-homing fee” for their pet. Typically the need to “pay” for a pet would discourage people who were looking for dinner for their pet snake, etc. However, almost all of the re-homing fees I have seen are ridiculous ($300 for a rabbit, etc.) and seem to have become the way the original owner replaces the entire financial investment they made in what should have been their forever pet. The original owner should not recoup that investment – it’s their deterrent from making, but not keeping, a commitment to an animal that later ends up homeless. Also, insanely high re-homing fees discourage some people who would otherwise be excellent care givers.

2. Rise in the homeless Guinea Pig population

I know much of this is seasonal and could have to do with a recent popular movie or a single local hoarder but overall it seems that there is now no shortage of homeless guinea pigs – perhaps even more so than cats. Ten years ago, guinea pigs were “hard to find” in shelters. It’s sad that people probably see these animals as more disposable simply because of their size.